Hair Care during the Ages

Hair Care Through the Ages

I always associate pilgrims with Thanksgiving and, considering it just passed, it made me wonder — what did women use for hair products back in the day? Ever stop to think about what people did before modern shampoo, conditioner, or even blow dryers? I certainly have. And spoiler alert: it’s a wild ride.

Let’s take a little time-travel trip through hair care history, from the medieval era to the powdered wigs of the 1700s.

1300s: When Lizard Gel Was All the Rage

During this time, hair products were made with... let’s just say very creative ingredients. Hair gel? Made from lizard tallow and swallow droppings. Yep — fat from lizards and bird poop were standard hair fixatives. Conditioner? A mixture of boiled lizards and olive oil. While it’s hard to imagine today, these ingredients were some of the best options they had.

It’s fascinating (and a little gross) how people experimented with what was available in nature to care for their hair.

1600s: Glam, Gowns, and Grease

The 1600s bring to mind dramatic gowns, big hair, and the beginnings of Enlightenment. It’s also the era of setting hair with lard (animal fat). Women would style their hair with this sticky substance, but the smell wasn’t exactly pleasant. In fact, it was said to attract rats, so women often slept with nightcaps to avoid a midnight visitor. Fashion had a cost — and it wasn’t just the price of the dress!

1700s: Powder, Pomade, and Protective Wigs

By the 1700s, wigs became a must-have for both men and women. They weren’t just a fashion statement — they were also used to combat lice and even disguise symptoms of illness like syphilis. Most men shaved their heads for wig fitting and hygiene.

Wigs were styled with pomade and then powdered using mixtures of flour, starch, or white clay, sometimes tinted blue, pink, or yellow — though white remained the most popular. Scents like lavender were added to mask odors and give that high-society elegance.

A Reflection on Hair History

It’s wild to see how hair routines evolved — from bird droppings to scented wig powder. While we wouldn’t trade our sulfate-free shampoos and keratin treatments for anything, there’s something fascinating about how creative (and brave) our ancestors were.

So tell us — which century’s hair routine would you have survived in?